The Silver Jubilee National Conference of the Indian Association for Social Psychiatry held on 15-17 November 2009 at Lucknow, India was an outstanding success. The landmark event was to celebrate the 25th year of the formation of the Indian Association for Social Psychiatry (IASP - a Member Society of the WPA). The theme of the conference was ‘Mental Health: Prioritizing Social Psychiatry’.

The scientific programme included symposia, invited lectures, orations, award papers, free papers and poster presentations. A workshop on 'Psychotherapy' conducted by Prof. Vijoy Varma (USA) was an important highlight.

The conference was co-sponsored by the World Psychiatric Association. The scientific sessions were absorbing and marked by excellent participation. Besides, the legendary hospitality of Lucknow was visible everywhere.

Our heartiest congratulations to Prof. JK Trivedi and his dedicated team, and to our Secretary General, Prof. Rakesh Chadda for organising this major event in such a remarkable manner.

Roy Abraham KallivayalilPresident-Elect, Indian Association for Social Psychiatry